Health Literacy Response to Classmate

RESPONSE: BLOG

Response: Blog

Susan V

Susan offers a concise definition of health literacy and indicates it is of great relevance in efforts to ensure that patients engage or take part in wellness activities. Susan also correctly indicates that health literacy is often instrumental in seeking to further enhance overall patient outcomes. It should be noted that as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – CDC (2022) indicates, health literacy could also be conceptualized in terms of personal health literacy and organizational health literacy. Whereas the former is concerned with individual health-information seeking and comprehension behavior, the latter has got to do with the extent to which organizations ease access to information (as well as comprehension of the same) meant to promote health literacy among individuals. My colleague has also restated the relevance of HIT on patient outcomes, as well as Health Economics. I am in agreement with Susan’s observation that health literacy has indeed increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is an assertion further advanced by Molnar (2021) who make an observation to the effect that information-seeking behavior (specifically online) has been on an upward trend.

Danielle Harris

From the onset, it should be noted that my colleague’s observation to the effect that health literacy is high among minority populations and older adults is not necessarily accurate. This is more so the case given that as the Health Resources and Service Administration – HRSA (2019) indicates, these happen to be groups with the lowest health literacy. More specifically, in the words of HRSA (2019), “low health literacy is more prevalent among: older adults, minority populations, those who have low socioeconomic status, and medically underserved people.” It therefore follows that there is need to further enhance health literacy across these populations. This is a position restated by my colleague. Harris has also indicated that health literacy has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. An observation has also been made to the effect that HIT was instrumental in efforts to rein in the disease. As Prescott and Prescott (2021) indicate, HIT has been particularly instrumental in the provision of epidemiology and treatment updates, and telehealth services.